Stories
by Gecko Osco
Summary: Even if you try and hide from it, love eventually makes itself heard. What’s a reluctant empath to do? Tsusoka...references to NCS, suicide, and child abuse, grapic violence at some parts.
1. Prologue

Stories (1?)

Rating: T

Pairings: Tsusoka…eventually

Warnings: shounen ai, mild swearing, some graphic violence, references to rape and suicide…spoilers for the anime and magna.

Summary: Even if you try and hide from it, love eventually makes itself heard. What's a reluctant empath to do?

Note: Yes, Osco is undertaking another YnM fic! This story is heavily influenced by the song "Stories" by Trapt…listen to it once and see what I mean.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storylines of Yami no Matsuei…I am but a poor college student trying to entertain herself.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Please enjoy!

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_**Stories**_

_I found a line, and then it grew_

_I found myself still thinking of you…_

---"Stories" by Trapt

_Prologue: Dreams and Realities_

_It was dark, save for the eerie crimson glow cast by the blood-red moon in the sky._

_He walked slowly among the sakura trees surrounding his home, watching the pink blossoms twirl about in the slight breeze, dancing to a tune that only they could hear. He didn't know what possessed him to go for a walk this night, or what possessed his parents to leave the household open for him to leave, just that it did and was…and now he enjoyed the serenity the night was giving him...a change from the miasma of hate and fear he felt during the day. If he had his way, he'd never leave these trees and the peace they brought with them…_

_And then, a man embracing a dark-haired woman caught his eye, turning his attention towards the happy couple. He wondered briefly what it felt like to be loved…what it felt like to be held so gently in the arms of someone who would tell him that he wasn't a monster and that everything would be all right. He scowled slightly as he watched the couple bathed in red light, envious of something he did not have, but then…_

_Everything changed._

_He felt a stab of horror clutch his heart, followed closely by pain, regret, and betrayal…and then he saw the knife rise in the air and come down. More red…but not from the moon…and it was everywhere. He felt the woman die, killed by the man who, save for the red of her blood, was cloaked in all white…and he was frozen. The body dropped, and the man turned around, fixing one silver eye and one mechanical blue on him…why wouldn't his legs move! The man smiled at him, but not in a nice way, and he started walking towards him, still clutching the knife he killed that woman with and still dripping in her blood…his legs began to move. _

_He stumbled on the hem of his kimono but didn't fall…but that stumble was all the man in white needed. He was being dragged back towards the sakura tree he murdered the woman under, one hand clamped around his mouth to prevent him from screaming and the other hooked around his waist…fear that was his own blossomed and he tried to kick, pull, anything to get away. But the man just laughed and threw him down to the ground, pinning him with stronger limbs than a thirteen year old boy would ever hope to have. It wasn't anger that he felt from the man…it was something dark, something that made his stomach clench with dread as that feeling was mirrored in his mismatched eyes._

_He pleaded, begged, beseeched this horrible man to let him go. He wouldn't tell anyone what happened….he'd be quiet forever. Just please let me live…_

_The man just laughed softly and ran a finger down his cheek…and the other hand untied the obi of his kimono. He was a beautiful doll…that's what the man whispered in his ear, trailing the outside with something wet…his tongue. He shivered as he felt this man's hands start roaming over his bare skin…please, he thought, stop it….please, please, please! He struggled further, but he couldn't get away…the kimono was gone, and so was the horrible angel's jacket…lips pressed against his own savagely, biting and causing blood to spill forth onto his swollen lips…_

"_The blood looks lovely with your pale skin in the moonlight…"_

_It hurt, everything this man did hurt so much…he screamed, which the man only seemed to enjoy, as the silver-locked demon touched him in ways that he knew was horribly wrong. He screamed when something unwanted was forced into his small frame…ripping him apart along with his innocence. He screamed when the knife carved into his skin…creating a bond that made him an unwilling doll to this puppet-master…a broken boy. Why didn't anyone hear him? Why didn't they care that their son was being raped and murdered not even two hundred meters away from his cell? Why didn't they love him enough to stop this before…before…_

_He felt himself floating now, clasped behind by strong and warm arms…they shielded him from all the blackness surrounding him. His red curse marks, disguised as tribal tattoos to anyone who didn't know better, were glowing angrily and his skin felt as if it were on fire…but hands that weren't his own smoothed over the marks, and made them disappear. He struggled again, but the arms held fast…keeping him from falling and holding him up. His arms were mark free, and the hands moved to his back…it felt so good, not feeling their presence any longer._

_He couldn't see the owner of the arms, and when he reached with his empathy, he found a wall more solid than anything he could ever construct. The arms encircled him again…funny, he didn't even notice that they no longer held him for a moment, giving him a chance to flee; one he didn't take. They spread over the marks on his chest…but stopped and hovered over his heart…they couldn't heal those without permission, he knew that right away. _

"_Let's look for something new…"_

_A voice, one that he knew…he turned around in the arms, but all he was met with was darkness…he called out, but no one answers. A flash of light, a brilliant emerald light, fills the area and makes him squint…a shape forms, but he can't see what it is. He steps forward, and the ground gives way…he falls down, but feels the arms wrap around him again._

_Falling…_

_Falling…_

…

…

"AH!" Kurosaki Hisoka yelled as he startled awake, breaths coming in heavy and sharp gasps as his bright green eyes search around the room wildly before calming down enough as he comes to full awareness. His hands were fisted into the sheets, knuckles white with strain, and it was another minute or two before he felt calm and…secure enough, before he loosened the grip. He was alone, in his room, and it was just a dream…just a nightmare. Or was it?

He took a steadying breath and ran a steady hand through his ash blonde hair, pushing away his covers and clambering out of bed…it wasn't quite dawn yet but he had a feeling he wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time this morning. He covered his mouth as he let out a yawn, oblivious to the childlike way his face scrunched up at the action and walked into his bathroom…he might as well start getting ready for work and show up early. He splashed his face with cold water from the sink in an attempt to fully rouse himself, pausing only to steady his reflection in the mirror as he dried off his face.

His verdant eyes narrowed critically as they studied himself for a moment before he tossed the towel at the reflection and spun around to start his shower. Hisoka hated being reminded of the fact that he was permanently stuck in the body of a sixteen year old boy and with his lithe frame and skinny legs, that's just what he looked like too. His appearance tended to make people treat him as if he was a child…which made Hisoka even more frustrated than his body could ever hope to accomplish. It really wasn't because he thought that at sixteen years, he shouldn't be considered a boy anymore…it was because Hisoka doubted he had ever truly been a child after he turned four and his parents locked him away in a basement. That and when you happen to be an Empath and can feel things from others, things that no child should know about, it tends to make a person grow up pretty quick.

No, Hisoka decided as he shed the oversized shirt and boxers he slept in and entered his shower, he had never really been a child after he made the mistake of asking his mother why she was sad.

But, there was no use in thinking about things he couldn't change…so the green-eyed Shinigami shoved the thoughts out of his mind and focused on washing his hair. Before he had even finished with his shower though, he felt his thoughts wandering back to the dream he had, a strange mix between a nightmare that haunted his mind and a dream that promised something he didn't remember feeling. He was all to aware of the beginning of his dream…he had that nightmare, a grim reminder of his past, enough times after the maniac gave him his memory back.

Muraki…two years later it still left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"It was just a dream, Kurosaki," he chastised himself while picking out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt to wear that day…it wasn't exactly cool today in Meifu, but the sleeves hid the scars from prying eyes in case they decided to flare up. "Nothing more, nothing less." And with that, he shoved the dream, even the parts he didn't mind so much, away and forced himself to not think about it…dwelling on the past didn't mean it didn't happen and wouldn't change anything. And, the last thing he wanted was to deal with nosy co-workers (i.e. a nosy partner who was to caring for his own damn good) prying into why he was withdrawn today. Well, more withdrawn than usual.

He had managed to keep the details about his rape a secret from everyone, and he had no intention of blabbing about it now…he hated he thought of pity he would feel from everyone as they watched him walk down the halls. No…it was better this way…his problems were his own and no one else's. Maybe Tsuzuki had some sort of idea about what happened, sometimes Hisoka would feel protectiveness from the man that was stronger than usual between partners, but if he only knew Muraki killed him. He didn't know that Muraki had broken him too…and he preferred it that way.

He towel dried his hair and ran a fine comb through the ash-blonde strands before heading towards the kitchen in his modest apartment, trying to direct his thoughts anywhere but Muraki and Tsuzuki…too bad the mind never seems to work that way. He poured himself a bowl of cereal, some Western brand that Tsuzuki bought for him because "he was to thin and needed to eat more" in the violet-eyed mans opinion. Frankly, Hisoka thought nothing was wrong with his eating habits…just because he didn't inhale ten meals before lunch, like his partner, didn't mean he didn't eat. But…it had made Tsuzuki smile when he accepted the cereal, luckily something that wasn't made of eighty percent sugar, and he hardly saw the true smile anymore.

Great…now he was thinking about Kyoto…what a spectacular morning so far. Why didn't he just throw in memories of his parents' hatred and fear towards him while he was at it? Even a year after that horrible case, and Hisoka still hated remembering that day, the day he almost lost the very first person in his life, and after life, that gave a damn about him…the day he almost ended up all alone again. He didn't blame Tsuzuki for wanting to kill himself, he knew whatever Muraki had told him was bad enough, and he still felt that sometimes he was much to selfish for making him stay when he so obviously didn't want to. Neither of them had really gotten over that case, and he suspected that Watari, Tatsumi, and a few others in the Shokan office knew that, but they acted as if they had.

Hisoka was starting to get really tired of all the acts he kept up nowadays.

The problem with him, left by that case, was that he didn't know how to deal with, or identify the new emotions he felt within him, and from others, as a result of that day. He knew that when he leapt into Touda's fires and flung himself around Tsuzuki's neck, pleading with the broken man to stay and live for him, that he had crossed a line somewhere…problem was, he didn't know what that meant. His logical side told him that he knew what it was that he had crossed into in respects to his partner, but that didn't mean understanding came as well. He knew he cared for the man more than a partner…but beyond that, he hadn't a clue.

'Looks like Muraki did his job well,' Hisoka thought to himself as he finished his breakfast. He didn't really want to think it, he hated when he got into those self-pitying moods, but the thought still came. He had a flash of his dream again, of a pair of arms encircling him and shielding him from…some unknown darkness, but as quick as it came, it was pushed aside. He had work to do, and he couldn't focus on trivial things like dreams and old memories that refused to be forgotten.

It was light outside know, but still early…maybe too early to show up to work. He didn't care though, it's not like there weren't reports he could fill out while waiting for others to filter in…and Watari was probably already there. Besides, at least at work he could focus his thoughts on something else easier…it beat bemoaning over dreams and realities anyhow. Mind made up, Hisoka cleaned up the remaining dishes in his sink and grabbed his jean jacket before heading out the door. He could always teleport to the office, but that just meant more of Tsuzuki's late and half-started reports getting filled out by him, and he could do with a walk anyway.

He walks at a normal pace to the office, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and a slight breeze playing with his hair, with a neutral expression on his face. It doesn't take long before the familiar building of the Shokan offices come into view, the rows of sakura trees lined out front and in bloom as they always were. He lets a mirthless smile cross his features for a brief moment as he walked down through those rows of trees and towards the place where he got a chance at a "second life" so to speak. Maybe it is better that he died…he certainly hadn't been living while he was alive…yes, this is better.

He paused for a brief moment before entering the complex, as something skittered past his mind, an elusive thought that he couldn't quite grasp. He frowned at the trees as his mind tried to think…but all he saw was some indistinct shape with its arms held wide open. He shook his head and entered the building…it was time for work and he'd figure out what was bothering him if he didn't think about it. That's how it always worked out…

But, the thought kept nagging him in the back of his mind…calling out to be heard by him, no matter how much he tried to hide…

It was going to be a long day.

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**A/N: **Review pretty please! I think you'll all like how this one turns out…it's my take on Hisoka and his empathy and what he would be able to do if he was in more touch with his feelings. I felt this calling to me, beggin to be written, so here it is!

Oh, and as a note, I stated that Hisoka thinks that Tsuzuki doesn't know about Muraki raping him because, as was pointed out to me, he doesn't know what Tsuzuki and Muraki talked about at the café. So, let's go with that Hisoka has no idea that Tsuzuki knows about the night under the sakura besides he was cursed, shall we? So, review and more will come!

Osco


	2. Chapter One

Stories (2/?)

Rating: T

Pairings: Tsusoka…eventually

Warnings: shouen ai and yaoi, mild swearing, some graphic violence, references to rape and suicide…spoilers for the anime and magna.

Summary: Even if you try and hide from it, love eventually makes itself heard. What's a reluctant empath to do?

Note: Yes, Osco is undertaking another YnM fic! This story is heavily influenced by the song "Stories" by Trapt…listen to it once and see what I mean.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storylines of Yami no Matsuei…I am but a poor college student trying to entertain herself.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Please enjoy!

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_**Stories**_

_And I felt so empty, and I was blind,_

_But still it's burning, when will you be mine?_

_---"_Stories" by Trapt

_Chapter One: A Case and a Mystery_

As expected, Hisoka was among the first to enter the Ministry that morning, beat only by an older Shinigami with gray-speckled dark hair whom he didn't know. He busied himself as soon as he reached his desk, pulling over old paperwork and half-finished reports that belonged to Tsuzuki. It amazed Hisoka how much work the purple-eyed man could back up if given the opportunity…what on Earth did that man do with his time when they weren't on assignment? Hisoka shrugged the thought away has he brushed an errant blonde lock out of his eyes as he began to fill out the reports. He probably didn't want to know what went on in his partner's head when it was left idle.

The sun over Meifu began to climb steadily higher in the sky the longer Hisoka toiled away on the old reports of murders and retrieved souls, marking time's passage as clearly as a clock. Around an hour after he had walked through the front doors of JuOhCho, Hisoka was only about halfway through one stack of the old paperwork when Watari came bustling in through the office doors, a bright smile on his face and a tune humming under his breath. The scientist waved a hello towards the taciturn youth and shouted a promise to be back in a minute when he spotted the green-eyed Shinigami alone at his desk. Hisoka's lips twitched in something that was akin to a smile at the promise before he pushed himself away from the paperwork…it was tedious to do it a first time around. His eyes started to drift outside as the sun shone through the windows, and before he knew it, Hisoka's verdant eyes were focusing in on the sakura trees outside.

They really were beautiful, suspended in an eternal spring-time state; a soft pink color radiating innocence for all of Meifu's residents to bask in. The slight breeze that was surrounding those trees made the petals twirl and dance in the sunlight…a dance to their own tune that none other could hear. It was funny though, these trees and their floating blossoms representing life in its fullest while they were lined outside a building that housed nothing but souls whose lives' had ended. How beautifully ironic. Hisoka wondered briefly if Enma-sama had a sense of humor, a bit morbid to be sure but a sense of humor nonetheless.

Even though he wanted nothing more than to just shrug aside his dream from that morning, those petals brought Hisoka back to it with blinding clarity. He had always loved the sakura trees as a child…they had looked so pretty to his young and naïve mind with their petals floating around the grounds of the Kurosaki household. A pink and ephemeral cloud that he could see even from the basement of his home that had served as his cell, those petals would drag his mind back from the darkness of isolation. Being confined in a dark room with nothing but negative emotions assaulting his young and untrained mind usually caused his mind to wander down dangerous paths…but those petals gave him something to focus on, something to smile at. Before he could create shields against others' emotions, those petals would give him peace to focus on…a blissful nothingness that was better than any emotion he had ever known.

Hisoka's lips upturned in a bitter and sad smile as he stared out at the sakura outside the building…he couldn't summon those feelings anymore about those petals. Those cherry blossoms had lost their innocence the same night he had…they didn't float forever to their tune, only until something swatted them down. They were just like humans, astonishingly fragile things floating through life until they fall to the ground and their beauty fades away as brown encroaches upon them. His thoughts were much to dark for this early in the morning, but he couldn't stop them from coming…he hadn't remembered being this philosophical as a child. But maybe the thoughts weren't that dark though…maybe they were just his own mind acknowledging that while he may like to think he was accepting the horrible things that had happened to him, the realization would never fade away. That realization that the world worked in cruel ways, no matter what you did or didn't do…no matter if you were just or selfish…the realization that his death was probably the best thing to ever happen to him in life…

"It's not good to let your mind wander so early in the morning, Bon," a cheerful, albeit tired voice piped up behind him, shocking the blonde boy out of his musings. "Never know where they'll go after all!"

"Good morning, Watari," Hisoka responded stoically to the light teasing, turning away from the sakura trees to meet with the scientist's golden eyes. He turned his attention back to the reports and began filling them out once more, hoping that the blond genki would take the hint and leave him alone…he wasn't in the mood for Watari's antics this early in the morning. Well, he never really was in the mood for them, but that was beside the point. Of course, Watari ignored the brush off completely and fixed the ash blonde with a mock serious look.

"Ah-ah," Watari said with a laugh, waggling his finger in front of Hisoka's down turned face just as a teacher would when admonishing a student. "Don't think you're getting off that easy, Bon! What are you doing here so early, you even beat me and that's saying something…anything on your mind?"

Hisoka knew the blonde meant well, everyone in the Shokan department did, but he had no interest in divulging the gruesome turns his dreams took after keeping it to himself for nearly a year and a half. He looked up briefly, giving the scientist a glare of irritation before turning back to the reports. "No…just wanted to catch up on some of the unfinished reports that Tsuzuki leaves around."

"Well, you should probably get some sleep rather than doing Tsuzuki's reports," Watari responded lightly, unaffected by the cold tone the green-eyed boy always used. "After all, bags under the eyes are never a flattering look…you never know just who might be looking at you!"

Hisoka could hear the knowing quality in Watari's voice but ignored him and his reference…he had no intention of examining unnecessary emotions…none at all. He could hear a frustrated sigh come from the scientist and looked up back into the golden eyes when the blonde genki braced his hands on his desk and leaned across, practically nose to nose with himself before Hisoka pushed back his chair slightly. He never liked it when someone crossed into his personal space…and that was something that had nothing to do with Muraki. He raised an eyebrow at Watari and crossed his arms across his chest in a defensive gesture, waiting impatiently for a lecture he knew he was about to receive.

"It's not healthy to keep everything bottled inside, Bon," Watari said gently, but lacking any of his previous humor as he fixed his golden eyes on the impassive empath's face. "I would think YOU of all people would figure that out…have you ever thought that talking about whatever's bothering you, and keeping you from sleeping, could actually help you work past it?"

"I'm fine," Hisoka replied as he struggled to keep his temper from flaring…he hated being patronized more than anything else. Watari had no idea what he was asking of Hisoka, had no idea about what his demons were like beyond being trapped in a cell for the majority of his life. And Hisoka wasn't even thinking about the night under the sakura…there was so much more that his parents had done to him that gave him fodder for nightmares and trust issues.

"No…you're not," Watari replied as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I'll understand if you didn't want to talk about things with me or Tatsumi or even Chief, but what about Tsu--"

"Leave me alone, Watari," Hisoka all but growled at the blonde scientist. He didn't want to think about the option being presented to him…it hurt too much. It hurt because on one hand, he wanted to just load off everything on his mind to his kind-hearted partner but on the other hand he didn't want to appear weak and burden the violet-eyed Shinigami's already troubled mind. It was strange to him, this almost ache inside his soul that called for the baka…it had just seemed to grow after Kyoto but had been planted ever since their first assignment in Nagasaki.

"No…have you ever thought that Tsuzuki has been through similar things that you have…or at the very least, can sympathize with having continuous nightmares?"

"Just shut up, Watari…" came out as a whisper from the green-eyed Shinigami. Gods, he could feel the concern, guilt over not being able to help, and slight disappointment filtering into him…he must still be shaken up from that blasted dream! Hisoka took a deep breath and tried to strengthen his mental barriers while attempting to wrestle the uneasiness and slight fear he could feel inside himself…why did the blonde idiot have to be so damn persistent?

He thought he could hear Watari say something in response to his whisper, something akin to an apology for forgetting about his empathy, but all Hisoka could register was a hand on his shoulder. His brilliant verdant eyes squinted close as he tried to combat the flow of emotions he could feel trying to rush in…and all he could feel of himself as fear…until blissful silence filled him as the hand jerked away from his shoulder. He looked up after a minute of getting his control back, ready to berate the blonde baka for touching him in the first place, but felt the diatribe die on his tongue when he saw a fearful looking Watari looking back at him. Funny, he had no reason to be afraid…he thought he had been the one who was feeling that emotion…Hisoka's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the blonde scientist.

Had he…had he just projected fear into Watari?

He opened his mouth to utter an apology, but as quick as the fear had appeared in Watari's eyes and body, Hisoka could see and feel it drain from him back into worry and slight confusion at what had just happened. Both Shinigami just stared at each other for what seemed like hours, trying to wrap their heads around what had just happened, until Watari laughed uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous way. "Uh, sorry Bon…didn't know that would happen…are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Hisoka replied in a dazed tone as he looked down at his hands…what the hell had he just done? "I-I didn't know that would happen either…"

"Hmm," Watari said in a curious manner, all thoughts of confusion, and slight fear despite himself, leaving him as a puzzle placed itself before him. "Well, don't think on it too much right now, at least until we know more about whatever you did…if you can project emotions as well as pick them up at will, it could be a definite asset to the department...but let's no get our hopes up just yet! You just keep it to yourself until I can run some tests, which may require your assistance once or twice, until I know for sure what's going on…well, I'm off to the lab! Tell Tsuzuki I said hello, would you Bon! Ja ne!"

And with that rather abrupt ending, Watari poofed out of sight in a white cloud, leaving a still shocked Hisoka to his own thoughts as he collapsed back into his chair. Funny, he didn't even remember standing up. It was another few minutes before he could pull his shock back in and school his expression back to the indifferent annoyance he was well known for…but his act was just that, an act. His mind was still a whirlwind of thought…he had projected, hadn't he? He had been feeling the fear, not Watari, but he made the blonde scientist feel what he felt…had he always been able to do this or was it just a fluke?

Hisoka's brows creased together in concentration as he tried to remember anytime during his life or after life that he had displayed this additional ability…but he couldn't think of a single instant. It really wasn't all that surprising to him that his childhood yielded no memories as he had struggled desperately to keep his empathy hidden deep within his psyche. Maybe it was a cowardly thing to do, pretending to be something that he wasn't, but to a lonely little eight year old it seemed like a logical decision to gain back the love his parents' had revoked. If they feared his empathy, it was wise to not practice using it…and it was wise to not display emotions so they would not think he was channeling them.

All of his childhood endeavors were useless though, as his empathy grew progressively stronger as he grew older…by the time he was ten the person didn't even have to be in the Kurosaki manor for him to pick up on the emotion, as long as it was felt strongly. He knew things that no little boy should know, not by his choice but by things he would 'hear,' and this caused the servants to fear him as much as his parents did. It was terrifying to him, feeling things that weren't his own such as lust and hatred, and the mask he had adopted had been his only way to combat his growing ability. Later, after a long talk with Tatsumi concerning his empathy, he had discovered much to his surprise that his upbringing was the worse possible one for an empath to grow up in…really, the surprise of the century.

By the time he was thirteen, he had actually started to gain a certain level of control over his gift…he had to in order to maintain his sanity against the flow of emotions. He had felt proud of himself for once in his life, and even though he couldn't prevent emotions entering him via touch, he could block out almost everything else…it was a triumph in his relatively short and depressing life. He had even snuck out of his cell one night, a room that was both a prison and salvation for him growing up as it kept him secluded from everyone else, and had found peace with those sakura blossoms while blocking out everything else…until an overwhelming stab of terror and pain forced their way into his psyche.

And then Muraki happened…and what little control he had gained was lost in an instance. It was really surprising to Hisoka now that he hadn't gone mad that night, as it was a common after effect for empaths after… after that kind of violation. The Gushoshin brothers had asked why he had looked so ill after they recited their research on empaths throughout history as requested by Tatsumi…to help him understand that he wasn't as alone with his gift as he had thought. Apparently, the mental intrusion combined with the physical intrusion was too much for most empaths to handle…only a handful had survived such attacks much less recovered.

Hisoka steered his thoughts away from those disturbing truths and back to whether or not he had ever projected as a Shinigami. After the first Nagasaki case, Hisoka had started training his empathic skills so he could be of better help to Tsuzuki on missions. He didn't entertain thoughts that he would one day be able to become stronger than the sweet-loving baka, but he wanted to prove to everyone that he could be strong enough to help him whenever he got himself into trouble…which was quite a lot. He had become exceedingly proficient at 'reading' people after the Sagadalius incident and had grown stronger in being able to sense out a person over a great distance after Kyoto…but he still could only do that with great concentration and with someone he knew very well. His barriers had become stronger as well…but he couldn't remember a single instance where he had EVER projected a feeling _he_ felt into someone else.

Hisoka snorted to himself as he rested his head in his hands, which were propped on his desk by the elbows, letting out a shaky sigh he felt disgusted at voicing. Of course he hadn't ever made someone feel what he felt…he wasn't exactly the best person at understanding what he was feeling, having been detached from his emotions for so long. The only emotions he truly could understand were fear, anger, and hatred…because it was those that had surrounded him growing up…and even then he still tried to avoid them as much as possible. Traditional Kurosaki upbringing demanded he show no weakness…his father apparently hadn't cared that his son was a monster when it came to grooming his next clan leader.

The blonde Shinigami lifted his head and gazed around the empty office in a lost sort of way…what was he supposed to do now? If he could learn to project in a greater capacity, he knew he would a lot more help to Tsuzuki, he would be able to protect his powerful but vulnerable partner in a way he couldn't before…he wouldn't just be a burden that needed to be watched over like a child. But…but could he even harness this ability? It had taken him the better part of thirteen years, and some additional years after his death, to get his empathy to where it was now…maybe it was just a fluke and he was making mountains out of mole-hills.

Besides, it seemed to him that in order to project, he'd have to be feeling something pretty strongly for it to get across. It wasn't to say that he had no feelings, because that was certainly not true, despite what many of his co-workers joked about, but he just…he was afraid. If a child's told enough times that he was evil because of a gift he has, and is shown enough times by those supposed to love him unconditionally fear, the child begins to believe the same as the parents…he grew to fear his feelings and those of others. He was even afraid of the unknown he felt for Tsuzuki…the intensity of what he felt scared him.

"_You have no idea what's going on yet, Kurosaki,"_ Hisoka chastised himself as he pulled the reports back in front of him…somehow most had fallen off the desk during his and Watari's encounter. _"Watari told you to not think about it until he knew more about it…just focus on what's in front of you and forget the rest…it doesn't matter."_

That's it…just forget the doubt and uncertainty about your abilities (_fear…your own reflected in another's eyes)_. Forget about your parents and their hatred (_they didn't care…they didn't care their son was being raped and murdered on their own property…just a monster being taken care of). _Forget about your own inadequacy and weaknesses (_can't save him…never could…just get in the way). _Forget about dreams and feelings you know can never happen…it's for the best anyway (_warm arms around you…all you have to do is jump and they'll catch you)._

Just do the paperwork…and wait for the afterlife to keep spinning past you.

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By the time Tsuzuki sauntered into the office and plopped down in his chair adjacent to Hisoka, it was over a half hour after worked had started…earning him a glare from nearly everyone in the office as he just smiled sheepishly and munched his doughnut. He had paused when Hisoka had not spared him a glare and annoyed reprimand, the green eyes staring unfocusedly on a stack of reports that looked like his own…wait, they were his own! Tsuzuki felt a true smile quirk his lips at the thought of his withdrawn and taciturn partner helping him out, like he always did. He felt his heart clench but pushed aside the feeling before Hisoka had a chance to pick up on it…his shields were good as ever, but he always seemed to lose his cool when this emerald-eyed Shinigami was concerned.

After Hisoka had begged him to stay in the middle of Touda's flames, disregarding his own immortality and Tsuzuki's anguished soul, the purple-eyed man had known how he felt about his partner…and he had a feeling that it was reciprocated deep down, underneath the boy's own masks. They had crossed a line that night, holding onto each other as if their lives depended upon it because, for that moment, they had. Tsuzuki had always admired his partner's strength, and secretly his features as well, but that admiration had changed into something deeper and more ancient in the middle of an inferno of his own creation…

He knew he was hopelessly in love with his ill-tempered, rash, introverted but utterly beautiful partner…and that had helped him overcome the maw of despair that had still clung to him even has Hisoka sobbed into his shoulder. He would live because Hisoka needed him to…and because he wanted to stay a bit longer if it meant he could try and get the wronged young man to smile even just once.

But even though he knew what he felt, that didn't mean that Hisoka was ready for that…he knew what Muraki had done to him and while thinking about that made him want to punish the manipulative doctor something horrible. He had no intention of telling Hisoka he knew the grisly details of his death…he wanted the green-eyed empath to tell him when he was ready. Until then, he would wait and be patient…giving thanks silently to whatever deity had brought Hisoka into his own existence…he would wait an eternity for the boy who had accepted him, despite all his flaws and weaknesses, if he had to.

Still, Tsuzuki didn't like to see that _empty_ look on Hisoka's face at all…it just didn't suit him. So, the sweet-loving Shinigami did the first thing that came to mind, something he knew was bound to get a reaction out of his partner and something that was bound to earn him a slap on the head. He picked up a pen and tossed it at the blonde youth, stifling a laugh in his hand when it hit Hisoka's head and caused the green eyes to snap up in irritation, glaring at Tsuzuki and promising second death. "Good morning, Soka-chan!"

Tsuzuki was faintly certain he heard an actual growl emanate from Hisoka at the nickname Saya and Yuma had given him…was it wrong that the growl both excited and scared him? True to his prediction, he was given a slap upside the head by his irate partner, including an angry retort of his being an idiot and to stop acting like a child all which were received with his customary pout. "So mean, Hisoka."

"Well, if you didn't act like such a baka, I wouldn't have to be," was the green-eyed empath's smooth response. "Are you aware that you're over thirty minutes late, this morning? You're just lucky Chief Konoe hasn't asked to see us yet…"

Tsuzuki only pouted at Hisoka's response, trying to figure out, inconspicuously so as not to alert said empathy of what he was up to, what was distracting his young partner so much…his slap hadn't even hurt all that much. He could see the slight bags under the green eyes as well…did his partner's nightmares bother him as much as his own did? He had tried his best to forget the entire Kyoto incident (and the memories that came with it) as much as he could, but that didn't mean that what he ignored while awake stayed that way when asleep. Still, he didn't have bags under his eyes…he choose to sleep through the nightmares, no matter how bad they were, and feel refreshed and depressed in the morning as opposed to tired and depressed.

Tsuzuki wasn't aware of his staring until Hisoka's hand waved in front of his face, a puzzled expression marring the usually cold and unaffected mask as he looked questionably at the purple-eyed man. "Are you all right, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka's soft voice asked the usual annoyance absent and only hesitant concern coming through. "You've been staring at me for the past five minutes…"

"Oh…just enjoying the scenery!" Tsuzuki answered with a wink, chuckling lightly at the red blush that spread across the empath's face at his joking comment. Well, half-way joking comment at any rate…

"Shut up, baka!" Hisoka hissed embarrassedly, before turning his flustered face away. He downright hated his pale complexion sometimes…

"I was just joking, Hisoka!" Tsuzuki said with a big smile that was only partly faked, hoping his partner was too distracted to pick up on his white lie. "By the way…thanks for filling out all that paper work for me! It was really thoughtful of you…"

"W-well," Hisoka started, keeping his eyes diverted from Tsuzuki's open and grateful face. "If I didn't do it, then it would never have gotten done…"

"Hai," Tsuzuki agreed with a playful grin…he was determined to get something out of Hisoka this morning. "But you still didn't have to do it, so thank you!"

"You're welcome," Hisoka replied after more than a few seconds of silence, his eyes looking up at Tsuzuki from behind wheat colored bangs…Gods, this boy was beautiful! A somewhat awkward silence settled between the two, neither one really wanting to cross the gap…neither one wanting to expand on the true meanings of their statements. Luckily for both Shokan Shinigami, they were saved by a floating chicken wearing a blue hat on his head and a big smile on his face.

"Tsuzuki-san, Hisoka-kun," Gushoshin younger exclaimed in his squeaky voice, drawing both guardians' attentions to the floating chicken. "The Chief and Tatsumi-san want to see you both in the briefing room…we've got an important mission lined up!"

"We?" Tsuzuki asked confusedly as he followed his partner's example and rose form his seat, heading towards the briefing room after the floating chicken.

"Yep…I'm going with you for research purposes," Gushoshin answered with a challenging voice, daring either Shinigami to protest his presence with all the wrath a two foot chicken could possess. Hisoka remained silent as ever while Tsuzuki merely shrugged in acquiesce, both wondering silently what kind of mission they were being given. After Kyoto, they had been confined to strictly retrieval cases and other such menial issues, as both Konoe and Tatsumi had their doubts about both Shinigami's mental states…it was only recently they had been given more challenging cases once again.

It didn't take the trio very long to reach the briefing room, a rectangular room that happened to be adjacent to Chief Konoe's offices, with Tsuzuki and Gushoshin younger chatting amiably the whole way, much to Hisoka's chagrin. When they entered the room, only Tatsumi and Konoe were present, discussing something quietly until they noticed the two Shinigami enter. Konoe offered both a gruff nod, sparing a scowl for Tsuzuki for being late, while Tatsumi just nodded at them both, his calm face masking the worry Hisoka could feel trickle out faintly.

"You both have a new case," Konoe said after Tatsumi handed two different files to Tsuzuki and Hisoka, crossing his hands in front of his face as he looked over them at his most capable pair in the Shokan division, much to his own chagrin. As much trouble as both these two caused, and seemed to attract, they were his best employees…strange how things worked out sometimes. "Recently, the Earl has been reporting strange occurrences in the Hall of Candles…souls disappearing after their bodies have died, as if they never existed. Their names have appeared in the records, but no souls have passed through the Hall and nothing we can determine suggests human interference."

"So…we're talking about a demon?" Hisoka asked quietly, never lifting his eyes from his case file and the different victims therein…there were quite a few of them. He looked up briefly to see if Tsuzuki seemed all right, despite the calm feeling she could sense outwardly from the man…he knew how good his partner was at masking what he really felt. Besides, their last encounter with a demon had not exactly been a victory in Tsuzuki's eyes…someone still died.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi answered as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his sapphire blue eyes closed a she addressed them both…he was worried about Tsuzuki too. "Although what kind, we can't be sure and that's why Gushoshin younger will accompany you to aid in discovering which demon we may be dealing with. The missing souls is of greatest priority right now, as well as discovering a way to perhaps save them, but preventing anymore premature deaths from this demon is also important…that's why both you and Tsuzuki-san will be going undercover at a local high school where most of the disappearances seem to be happening."

Hisoka nodded in understanding as he packed up his file, ignoring Tatsumi lecturing a pouting Tsuzuki about money expenditures per usual, giving a brief nod to Konoe on his way out, looking back to make sure Tsuzuki followed him. The violet-eyed Shinigami emerged seconds later, letting out a defeated sigh as he saddled up beside Hisoka and joined his partner in walking out of the offices. Might as well get started on the case and figure out how to save the lost souls rather than putting it off.

"So…excited about going back to school, Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked with an easy grin, his hands inside the pockets of his black trench coat, purple eyes locking onto the smaller form beside him.

"Ecstatic," Hisoka answered dryly.

"Well, I am," Tsuzuki blabbered on, disregarding the annoyed looks he received every now and then as the two made their way out of JuOhCho offices, Gushoshin trailing behind them and grumbling about carrying all the case files. "Of course, that's because I'm going to be a teacher and YOU'LL have to listen to me for once…"

Hisoka tuned out the rest of his partner's idle chatter, focusing his mind at the task at hand. They had a case to solve…he couldn't afford to be distracted by personal issues or his empathy if the demon they were dealing with turned out to be a bigger deal than they anticipated. There was no room for error because he couldn't stand the thought of Tsuzuki's distraught face if someone else died because they couldn't save him or her in time…time to push aside all unnecessary emotions.

Problem was, every time he found himself looking into his partner's face and eyes, he couldn't help but feel like doing anything but that.

_Warm arms around you…all you have to do is jump and they'll catch you…_

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I'm so sorry for the awful delay…I was so distracted by other things I couldn't devote the attention I feel this story needs. I promise you though, I have every intention of finishing this story…it's my brain-child so to speak. Thank you so much for everyone's reviews last time! I'm also changing the rating to a bit higher…some of the language and graphics are probably a bit worse than just "T" now that I think about it.

Please do me the favor and review! I'm terribly self-conscious about this fic and really want it to turn out well! More to come soon…this time I promise!

Osco


	3. Chapter Two

Stories (3/?)

Rating: T

Pairings: Tsusoka…eventually

Warnings: shouen ai and yaoi, mild swearing, some graphic violence, references to rape and suicide…spoilers for the anime and magna.

Summary: Even if you try and hide from it, love eventually makes itself heard. What's a reluctant empath to do?

Note: Yes, Osco is undertaking another YnM fic! This story is heavily influenced by the song "Stories" by Trapt…listen to it once and see what I mean.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storylines of Yami no Matsuei…I am but a poor college student trying to entertain herself.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Please enjoy!

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_**Stories**_

_Too much of the same, stories in our lives_

_I think it's time for a change, don't you?_

--- "Stories" by Trapt

_Chapter Two: An Interesting Person_

If there was one thing Hisoka didn't regret about his upbringing, it was that his parents had insisted on private tutors as opposed to public or even private schooling. Again, Kurosaki upbringing demanded nothing short of perfection, even from a 'monster' such as him, and his parents had looked disgusted when he once asked why he didn't attend school like some of his father's friends' children did. He was a Kurosaki, was their reply, followed by a quick slap to the face as he was hauled back to his 'room' for even suggesting such a thought when company was over. The heir of the family could not afford to have anything less than a superior education.

Besides, his mother would always add with a nasty sneer that still made him cringe when he thought about it, it wasn't safe for him to be around other children. He was a scary child who would never make any friends…who would want to be friends with a monster anyway? He had to admit, that while his parents never had his best interest at heart, forbidding him from attending a normal school had probably saved his life…well, up until his death at any rate. He was having a hard enough time as it was trying to keep his shields up as a Shinigami…he didn't want to think about how these emotions would have affected him as a child who had no control over his gift.

Hisoka let out another annoyed sigh as he shouldered his way past two gossiping girls as he headed towards the health office, desperately in need of some aspirin. He knew that he was, technically, only a few years older than he looked, and by proxy, the people surrounding him, but he felt positively ancient as he walked the halls and watched his 'classmates' interact. They all used such high voices, and seemed to enjoy seeing just who could drown out the other's voice as they discussed various topics ranging from boys, girls, teachers, and extracurricular activities. But what was worse was how every single one seemed to be feeling differently from what they were exuding, which of course hit Hisoka like a sledgehammer. In his time as a Shinigami, Hisoka had had some pretty bad cases, ranging from demon possession to psychotic serial killers, but this case was already working its way towards the top of his list.

He and Tsuzuki had arrived at Osama High School a little over a week ago, the elder man posing as the school nurse and Hisoka as an upper class student, and so far, their demon had remained conspicuously absent. Gushoshin younger had given the pair the profiles of the killed students, and while they each had certain qualities in common, some neighborhoods and others sports, none could be seen as a connecting cause of death. They both had interviewed friends and classmates of the victims, being careful to remain only curious rather than suspicious, but had come up with nothing conclusive. It was so frustrating; Hisoka was starting to wonder if they were dealing with a _human_ killer rather than a demonic one.

However, as much as Hisoka wanted to blame his frustrations solely on the dead-ends of their case, the blonde empath knew it stemmed form more than that. Because of his upbringing, he had schooled himself to be cold and uncaring to protect himself…but this defense didn't translate to his fellow students. He came across as arrogant and unfriendly to most of them, and before he could really try to fit into his role, he had been branded by the student body as the 'strange' new boy and spent the majority of his time avoiding the weird looks he kept getting from the students. That alone wasn't enough to upset Hisoka though…what upset him was how Tsuzuki had instantly appealed to everyone, staff included, with barely nay effort. He knew, logically, that it was natural for the purple-eyed Shinigami to attract people, his personality was an infectious one, but it still bothered him for some unknown reason.

Hisoka gave another annoyed sigh as he placed two fingers to his temple, attempting to block out all the 'voices' surrounding him, forcing his thoughts away from a potentially dangerous topic. He was on a case…he couldn't afford to be a liability to his already unstable partner because he got distracted by his own confusing emotions. He muttered an "excuse me" to a passing teacher has he pushed open the door to the infirmary and shut it with an audible sigh, relieved for once that his partner had such strong shields. He normally was upset with how Tsuzuki would block him out from time to time, again for a reason he didn't want to explore, but at the moment, he was blissfully thankful for the quiet reprieve his partner offered him.

"Hisoka? Is that you?" Tsuzuki asked from behind a partition, apparently busy with something. Hisoka rolled his green eyes to the ceiling, asking silently why he put up with such an idiot for a partner. Why on Earth would Tsuzuki practically announce to the world that he knew the new kid on campus? It was suspicious enough as it was that they had both arrived at the school at the same time. It would hinder their investigation if the students began to think that they actually were investigating the deaths…not to mention the messy amount of paperwork they would have to fill out concerning the breach of Shinigami existence among humans.

This was what a part of Hisoka longed to shout at his partner, but when Tsuzuki poked his head from behind a curtain to blink innocently at Hisoka, the blonde empath felt that annoyance drain from him ad he merely shook his head in frustration.

"Who else would it be baka?" Hisoka countered with a frown. He moved from his spot against the door over to an empty bed where Tsuzuki had pulled back a curtain, promptly sitting down while he still rubbed at his temples, closing his vibrant eyes. Just because he wasn't around the thoughts didn't mean his headache had diminished any.

"I am supposed to be a nurse, 'Soka," was Tsuzuki's humored response. The violet-eyed man surveyed the green-eyed boy sitting on the bed, rubbing the side of his head with a pained expression. He hated it when he had to pry how in pain the empath was…Tsuzuki sighed to himself and fished through a medical cabinet for the aspirin. "It wouldn't be unheard of if other people showed up feeling sick or hurt, you know!"

"I guess," was all that Hisoka responded with, opening his eyes when he felt a small bottle pressed into his hand. He gave his partner a grateful look before taking two of the small, blue pills and handing back the container. He took the pills dry, not noticing the concerned frown still marring his companion's handsome face, and gave his head a little shake before directing his direct gaze back to his partner. "Any new leads?"

Tsuzuki sighed inwardly at his stubborn partner, swearing that one of these days he was going to force the boy to talk about what was bothering him, beyond the pains that aspirin could cure, but pasted on a sheepish smile for the time being. They had a job to do after all, and he, like his honey-blonde partner, was also beginning to feel restless at the lack of activity from this demon they were supposed to be looking for. He wasn't particularly keen on getting this case, the memory of his last demon case still fresh in his mind, but getting out of the office seemed to make Hisoka happy so, here he was. He only hoped the demon's or 'whatever it was' inactivity didn't end up killing more people than it had already.

"Nope…even the students who were friends with the victims seem tight-lipped about the whole thing," Tsuzuki mused. "If it is a demon that's causing all this trouble, there's a chance it was summoned here by some of the students…"

"But the victims aren't related closely enough to pinpoint a select group of students," Hisoka said in response. His brow was furrowed as he attempted to piece together what little information they had. It had become a ritual between him and Tsuzuki after they left the school and retired to the run-down hotel Tatsumi had them holed up in. "Unless it was the entire student body, I don't see how that could be what caused whatever we're facing to show up. How many of the victims were students here again?"

"Four," was Tsuzuki's response, a puzzled look also working its way onto the elder Shinigami's face. "There have been six altogether so far…the two victims that weren't students were somehow related to a student here."

"So, we know the school is the root of it, somehow," Hisoka said as he got up from the bed. He paced when he began to over think, Tsuzuki noticed…the aspirin he took would have no affect if he didn't calm him down. "But what is the connection? Do you think there is none, and the demon is just choosing souls randomly?"

"Demons never do anything randomly," Tsuzuki responded darkly. He didn't like talking about demons…reminded him too much of his hidden heritage. "If it's a demon, there's a purpose behind what's going on…the random pattern would be more fitting for a serial killer. Maybe we should have Gushoshin search the background of the faculty and students, just in case."

"Mmm, maybe," was all Hisoka responded with. The blonde empath was still pacing, his eyes narrowed and body strung tight and tense. Tsuzuki refocused his frown on his young partner and his demeanor. He knew the halls and school were wreaking havoc on his empathy, a large building full of hormone driven teenagers was bound to do that, but there was more than that to what had the blonde so stressed and upset. He may have looked calm outwardly, but Tsuzuki had become a master at reading he hidden messages behind Hisoka's expressions, or lack thereof. Nodding to himself, Tsuzuki strode over to the blonde and placed his hands on the startled empath's shoulders, forcing him to stop his pacing and look into his uniquely colored eyes.

"Tsuzuki! What are you--?"

"Hisoka," Tsuzuki began in a gentle, but serious tone, his eyes showing nothing but concern and…a warm affection Hisoka could feel trickle into him via his empathy. "Tell me what's bothering you…I can tell it's more than just the lack of evidence. It doesn't do you any good to keep it bottled up inside…haven't you learned anything by my own mistakes?" The last part was said in a joking tone, but Hisoka could feel the real worry and truth behind the joke.

"I'm fine, Tsuzuki," Hisoka began, only to pause and look down at the intense look of disbelief in his partner's eyes…why was he always able to affect him so? He looked back up with a slightly embarrassed look, a light blush dusting across his cheekbones. "It's…it's just the entire case, Tsuzuki. Nothing really seems to add up and all the emotions flying around are giving me a headache."

"I knew that…what else is bothering you?"

Damn this man for being able to read him like a book. Hisoka scowled and looked down, mumbling so quietly Tsuzuki had to strain to hear the blonde's soft voice. "I don't know why all their stares bother me…they just do. I've never been good at relating to people and this case is making that painfully obvious."

Tsuzuki smiled sadly at his younger partner, wishing he could say what was on his mind, and in his heart, to assure the fragile empath that it didn't matter what others thought about him. He knew he couldn't though…the boy had just as many scars to heal from as he had and he would not scare him with emotions that were probably still unwanted. Instead, he opted for a safe medium, wrapping his arms loosely around his slim partner's frame and opening his shields a bit, letting some of the more familiar emotions filter down into his partner. Affection, protectiveness, warmth, and, though he tried to keep it as tame as possible, love.

Hisoka let out a sigh unconsciously, soaking in what his partner was feeding into his tired frame. It still amazed him that Tsuzuki could feel these things for screw-up like him. He, after all, was a cold, stubborn, sullen, and bratty little boy that seemed to get into more trouble than he was worth, and this man didn't seem to acre about any of that. Hisoka was selfish though…he took this affection knowing full well that he was keeping a horrible secret from his partner. He didn't really deserve what Tsuzuki offered him so selflessly, it was to good for a broken doll like him, but it filled up his cold interior in a way that made him feel…whole seemed like an apt word.

Realizing what he was doing, Hisoka pulled away quickly, a much brighter blush covering his face as he mumbled a shy and quiet thank you to his partner, who was still staring at him with those terribly kind and open eyes…eyes and emotions he didn't really deserve. They both kind of stared at each other for another moment, neither willing to break and ruin the small moment they found themselves in, but eventually Hisoka turned away, muttering something about needing to get to his last class and that he'd see the elder Shinigami later on. He paused for a moment at the door, hand shaking slightly as it closed over the handle, but he forced away the butterfly-like feelings in his stomach and beating of his heart, not glancing back at those kind purple eyes. He wouldn't be able to leave if he looked back.

Tsuzuki let out a frustrated sigh as the boy exited the infirmary, frustrated at his own boldness and how it had done exactly what he had been trying to avoid, frighten his skittish partner. He knew he shouldn't have listened to Watari and his warped logic in how to approach Hisoka. The scientist, while having the best intentions towards the empath and himself, just didn't know enough about the situation to pass advice that would work. Hisoka had been, well, he had been hurt in too many ways that still made Tsuzuki too enraged for words and it had to be approached…delicately.

Letting out a groan as he seated himself at his desk, Tsuzuki let his head fall forward and rest on the table. Delicately…yeah…this coming from the Shinigami who blew up the library at JuOhCho…twice. Tsuzuki was just going to have to wait for Hisoka to act on his feelings…however long it may take the wounded blonde to do. He would wait though…Hisoka was worth it. With that thought, Tsuzuki let a small and slightly sad smile cover his features as he focused his attention back on their case.

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Hisoka's thoughts were anywhere but school or even the case as he seated himself in his history class, eyes glazed and too full of confusing emotions to focus on any of them. He could feel the dull thrum of his classmates' emotions at his skull, but it wasn't nearly as bad as earlier…he guessed that he had too much of his own emotions to deal with to let others in. It was a strange feeling to Hisoka, as he had spent the majority of life and part of his death ignoring his emotions, but he couldn't say it was completely unpleasant. Most of the emotions he had felt, mostly due to natural instinct and not his own choice, varied from differing levels of fear, pain, and anger…sometimes punctuated by frustration, loneliness and hate. What he was feeling now, though terribly confusing and jumbled, was nothing of the sort. What he was feeling gave him these warm feelings that made him almost want to break out into a ridiculous grin….almost being the key word.

The thing that made it really strange was that it wasn't necessarily Tsuzuki's feelings making him feel this way…it was more the act that those feelings were directed towards him. He knew that Tsuzuki and he had a slightly abnormal relationship, being chased relentlessly by psychotic doctors tended to do that to partners, but it was only recently that he had started to really _see_ it. It was only recently that he had started to feel it, and while he knew that it probably should worry him, it didn't, and that was what scared him. He had never allowed himself to feel so strongly for someone, not since his parents' betrayal, and it terrified him of what would happen if he let him feel like that again and Tsuzuki found out just how damaged he really was. It had broken him when his parents had left him…it would kill him if Tsuzuki left.

Hisoka could feel his hands start to shake of their own volition at the thought, and he glared at them, trying to will them to remain calm. He wasn't calm, but he'd be damned if he started letting the whole world know that. He could hear the bell ring, signaling class should start, but his mind was still going a mile a minute, unable to focus on anything it should, save until a feather light touch graced his hand and make him look up in shock at a pair of concerned brown eyes. Upon further inspection, he saw the brown eyes belonged to a girl of his age with medium length hair that was originally black, but was streaked with dark blue and silver. The girl had a heart shaped face that wasn't breath-taking or anything, but was pretty enough to earn her a couple of admirers, and she seemed to be even shorter than most girls in their class, at least from a sitting position. He wondered for a moment why he didn't feel anything from her touch, but was distracted from the thought by her whispered voice.

"Do you need to go to the infirmary or anything?" the girl asked in slightly worried voice. She didn't have the delicate sound to her voice that most of the girls did here, but rather one that was deeper and slightly harsh to the ear, but it seemed to suit her. "You look like shit." Blunt…a nice change from the tip-toeing and falsely sweet attitudes he had been dealing with for the past week.

"I'm fine," Hisoka hissed back, turning his attention away from the girl and her unnerving stare…it didn't seem affected by his cool brush-off.

"I'm sure you think you are, but you've been looking all over the room and breathing heavily for the past five minutes," the girl replied logically. She didn't seem bothered by the fact he didn't seem to be listening to her either. "Not sure about you, but those symptoms don't strike me as something that's 'fine' to be dealing with."

Hisoka didn't answer the girl, opting instead to keep his gaze focused on his teacher in the front of the class, talking about some past era that the blonde could really care less about. He glanced back over after taking a few obligatory notes, and narrowed his eyes at the girl who was still studying him in a clinical sense. "Can I help you with something?"

"No…you just seemed like an interesting person," the girl replied with a wave of her hand. She shrugged her shoulders before returning to her notebook, using her pencil to finish a drawing rather than take notes on the Meiji restoration. Hisoka snuck a quick glance at the drawing, silently appreciating the skill it took to create such a complex looking picture. He thought he saw her smirk but he turned back around and focused on the teacher's words for the rest of the class. He let out a sigh of relief when the bell rang and stood up quickly to pack away his things, exiting the class towards the school grounds outside. He noticed the girl was following him, and he felt a slight uneasiness about it…he didn't take well to being followed.

"Can I help you with something?" Hisoka asked coldly, glaring daggers at the short girl.

"You're the new kid, aren't you?" The girl asked with a curious look on her face. She held her notebook at her side loosely, her other hand pushing her long bangs out of her calculating eyes. "You don't look familiar and everyone keeps saying how surly and rude the new boy is."

Hisoka rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath angrily…he downright hated this mission. He attempted to walk away from the girl, but she seemed just as stubborn as he was, effortlessly avoiding the moving bodies as Hisoka kept bumping into people with half-hearted apologies. "Would you stop following me?!"

"No…what's your name?" the girl asked, not bothered that the glare she was receiving had scared many of Hisoka's fellow Shinigami into leaving him alone.

"You're not going to leave me alone until I do, are you?" Hisoka asked.

"Nope…as I said before, you're interesting. It's not often that I get to meet someone my own age so different from everyone else here."

"Tatsumi Hisoka," the blonde empath said reluctantly. He and Tsuzuki had decided that his own name was far too well known to use in an undercover case, especially since Kurosaki Hisoka had been dead for two years now, so he had adopted Tatsumi-san's surname as his own for the duration of the case. It was an older name, as Tatsumi-san had died close to fifty years ago, and it worked because the girl didn't seem to think anything of it.

"Hisoka…that's a nice name," the girl said with a hint of a smile, the first Hisoka had seen from the girl. She stuck out her hand and waited for Hisoka to grasp it before proclaiming who she was. "I'm Fujima Minako. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Hisoka said with a smirk, inwardly smiling at this girl's tenacity, one that rivaled another person in his life with violet eyes.

"So, are you going to the infirmary or not?" Minako asked as she pulled out a pair of headphones that belonged to a CD player, giving the blonde empath a questioning look before putting the ear pieces in her ears. "I wasn't just saying you looked like shit to talk to you."

Hisoka shook his head as the two crossed the front lawn of the school, coming to an intersection and pausing…somehow he knew that they would be heading opposite directions. "I've just been thinking a lot. It's nothing beside a headache and that I'm tired."

Minako didn't look entirely convinced, but she shrugged her petite shoulders as she gave the blonde a nod and pressed the play button for her player in her bag. "All right. You should get some rest…see you tomorrow?"

"Uh…sure," Hisoka said uncertainly, not quite sure how to act around this girl according to that statement. She laughed at him before giving him a playful smirk and patting his cheek in a jesting manner.

"Geez, you act like you've never had a friend before. I'll see tomorrow. Like I said, you're an interesting person, Hisoka-kun." With that final statement, Minako turned around and crossed the street, surrounded by a sea of people that swallowed her up.

Hisoka stood frozen where he was for another moment or so, letting her words soak into his mind and smiling inwardly at them. Friends? It sounded nice…he'd never had one before, not really. He and Tsuzuki had never really been friends, events happening around them hadn't really let them become anything but the confusing mess that they were now. His mind feeling a lot less burdened, Hisoka disappeared from the eyes of mortals and leapt into the air, floating above the masses with ease and heading back to the hotel he and Tsuzuki were staying in. He normally didn't use his powers as a Shinigami unless the situation called for it, but he felt like it today…besides, it was a long walk from the high school to the hotel.

His thoughts drifted back to their case and he hoped that maybe Tsuzuki had been able to glean something else besides what they already knew in that last hour of the day, or else they'd have to get Gushoshin searching for a human killer as well. He had already narrowed down the field of demons to a selection of ten, but it would be harder to figure out possible human suspects…humans couldn't really be categorized like demons could be. Hisoka only hoped that they found out what was causing all the trouble soon, if anything, to save Tsuzuki the guilt the empath knew the elder man would feel if more and more victims started emerging. No one had died since they had arrived, but Hisoka didn't know how long their luck would hold out.

Hisoka shook his head and cleared his head as he landed on the ground outside his and Tsuzuki's hotel, knowing it would be better if he tackled this case with a clear head rather than one cluttered with stray thoughts. Despite himself though, a small, almost miniscule, smile worked its way onto his face as he climbed the stairs to his room. At least tomorrow, he wouldn't be entirely alone at school, and maybe, he would even be able to get a new insight into what had happened from Minako. With that thought, he pushed open the door to his room, giving the floating chicken waiting for him a brief nod before sitting down to wait for Tsuzuki to show up.

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The human, a boy with dark hair and eyes, shuddered one last time before collapsing in a puddle of blood that had once been in his broken body. The wound at his neck gave one or two final spurts of crimson before steadying to a trickle, draining the already dead boy of what was left of his life force. A dark figure looked dispassionately at the broken body with a small smile, inhaling the sweet smell of blood deeply before licking the excess droplets off his fingers. He didn't hunger for blood as some of his brethren did, but he could appreciate it's tangy sweetness from time to time. He brushed a strand of pure white hair from his dark red eyes and slowly cleaned off a wickedly curved blade with a spotless handkerchief before tucking the blade away on his person.

This human, like the others, was nothing particularly special, but was necessary for his ultimate goal. The process of finding potentials, harvesting heir souls, and killing them was a lengthy procedure, but the end reward was one that well worth the trouble he went through. He turned away from the already cooling body, blowing the dead corpse a kiss as he left and letting out a quiet chuckle as he walked deeper into the under-city of Nagasaki. The first step of his plan was nearly complete, all the souls from the less-than-desired humans had bolstered his strength and he was ready to take on what he truly wanted.

"Just a little bit longer," the demon said to himself, his voice gravelly and spoken in something akin to a snake's hiss. Just a little bit longer and he would have what he came for…just a little bit longer.

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Fixed the mistake of Tatsumi's name…thanks to everyone who pointed it out for me!

Well…again, sorry for the delay, but this time it wasn't nearly so bad! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please review to feed my starving muses! How can you say no to them (Two fairies give their best puppy-dog eyes to the readers)?

Oh, as a side note, Minako is not someone anyone should be concerned about being a Mary-Sue. I assure you, I do not create characters so carelessly and she does have a purpose in this story beyond being a friend for Hisoka. It's a case fic…original characters are bound to happen unfortunately.

Anyway, please review and I'll see you all next chapter!

Osco


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